BELLEVUE | Projects and Updates! - Page 8

testdrive · #**141** Posted **Nov 14, 2006, 5:15 AM**

I see the 1st crane has gone up for the Braven. It looks like it is for the 12 story Neman Marcus building. I would think the 2nd crane for the 24 story building next door will be going up soon. I wonder how long after that the 2 cranes for the residental towers on that site will be going up. Kind of exciting to see that much so close to the freeway.

horatio_the_hermit · #**142** Posted **Nov 14, 2006, 5:35 AM**

A quick correction; the 12 storey office buildingin the NE corner of the site will not house Neiman Marcus. Neiman Marcus will be located just south of the 24 storey office building. See the site plan at www.bravernresidences.com

mhays · #**143** Posted **Nov 14, 2006, 6:16 AM**

Is Bravern digging on the residential towers yet? I know they demo'd.

horatio_the_hermit · #**144** Posted **Nov 14, 2006, 11:50 PM**

si. they are.

Hans Gruber · #**145** Posted **Nov 16, 2006, 2:16 PM**

Not much digging on the residential section. They have setup retainging walls and walkways. The digging crew of backhoes and earth movers are in position. It looks like they are planning on having two conveyor belts working at the same time to remove earth.

NE 8th is closed evening while dump trucks haul the earth to Sea Tac to fill the last of the third runway. Several extremely lazy beat cops patrol the detour route. The Braven will make a wonderful entry point to the new downtown Bellevue.

mhays · #**146** Posted **Nov 16, 2006, 7:14 PM**

Thanks. Walkways are a pretty good sign of a start. I guess they're going deep with the parking, hence the conveyors. PS, it's "Bravern".

Lostwave · #**147** Posted **Nov 17, 2006, 5:20 PM**

http://www.king5.com/topstories/stor....46e37f9a.html

Some views of the crane from Civica.

Hans Gruber · #**148** Posted **Nov 19, 2006, 6:03 AM**

This crane collapse is tragic. Fortunately the crane did not collapse during rush hour. I drive by the cranes everyday. I workout across the stret at the LA Fitness with 2 other giant cranes.

I actually closely visually inspect building sites. These cranes are very sturdy and well engineered. I can't think of a crane collapse in Seattle since the portable Kingdome crane collapsed while fixing ceiling tiles in 1996. The crane collapse in Milwaukee while contructing Miller park several years ago. However, both of these cranes were different designs. As I recall the cranes that collapsed were angled at 20-30 degrees and the crane arm. The 333 building crane was a standard skyscraper 45 degree or right angel crane. These tower cranes are much sturdier than the 333 building crane that collapsed on Thursday.

It will be interesting to see what the Labor & Industry investigators find. Right now, it's being ruled a traggic accident. However, the crane in question was standing for 2 months before it collapsed. Had the crane collapsed in the middle of the night, structural failure would be an obvious conclusions. In this case, the crane was being operated by a crane operator when it collapsed.

I find it hard to believe that structural failure would have caused this collapse. Wind was not an issue on Thursday. I guess we will have to wait and see what the investigators find.

I feel completely safe in the Galleria complex which houses the LA Fitness next door to the Bellevue Towers contruction site with it's 2 cranes which will stand at over 50 stories during construction.

James Bond Agent 007 · #**149** Posted **Nov 19, 2006, 7:54 AM**

Re: the wind.

I think what they meant when they said wind was a problem was that wind from the previous week or two might have loosened the crane's attachment, not that wind itself that day was the cause.

Hans Gruber · #**150** Posted **Nov 19, 2006, 12:55 PM**

It could be the wind. However, most crane operators don't have long histories of (cocaine and meth) drug abuse. The winds have not been that strong in Bellevue. These cranes are designed to handle hurricane force winds.

testdrive · #**151** Posted **Nov 19, 2006, 9:00 PM**

Let's not jump to conclusions about the operator. The fact of his drug history has not in anyway been connected to this. He was drug tested for the job and was clean. There has to be metalergical tests on the crane. It is very possible that something at the base was defective including the concrete base it was mounting on. It smacks at muckraking when accusations are made before the evidence is there to support it.

Hans Gruber · #**152** Posted **Nov 19, 2006, 10:22 PM**

It's a well known fact that construction workers are some of the hardest working people in America. The same could also be said of the partying ability of construction workers. These guys get ripped most every night. I don't mean they throw back a couple beers. Most drink a half rack minimum. If not beer they will quite easily take down an entire fifth of hard booze when the mood is right.

These highly paid and most often highly skilled workers drink themselves into drunken sleep. Amazingly, these men wake at the sound of the first chirping bird each morning.

These guys are on the job every morning at 7:00AM.

I don't know much about drug use and construction workers as this habit is frowned upon by construction companies. Drug use is more of a down low practice.

I hope the crane accident was structural in cause. At the same time, this can cause concern on the part of many who work in downtown bellevue. The idea of falling cranes is not a pleasant thought. There are more than 12 cranes now around downtown bellevue with 12 or more in the works.

NW Mike · #**153** Posted **Nov 22, 2006, 11:47 PM**

Its looking more and more like the crane fell due to installation issues.Today the Seattle Times mentioned

"State investigators are studying the base of the crane, which was connected to steel beams in the parking garage of the construction site instead of to a concrete foundation — the method normally used to hold tower cranes.

David Weber, president of Northwest Tower Crane Service in Tukwila, which erected the crane Sept. 9, said Tuesday that before agreeing to the job, he looked at plans for the base presented by the general contractor and its engineering firm and concluded they were satisfactory.

"It was designed by competent engineers," Weber said, noting that engineers relied on calculations and load limits provided by the crane's Swiss manufacturer.

Weber said that although Northwest has never used a crane base identical to the Bellevue configuration, the company has attached cranes to steel beams at a few other construction sites." Seattle Times Reporters.

By the Way I'm new here..I'm Michael,I'm always reading all the great information here so I thought I would join in. This is such a great site.

testdrive · #**154** Posted **Nov 23, 2006, 12:17 AM**

I think I will get back to talking about the buildings since logic doesn't seem to work when we stray from that topic. It looks like the crane accident isn't going to delay the building mania for very long. It will be interesting to see if this rare design that was used to hold the crane in place turns out to be the reason for the collapse and not because of those party boy construction workers haha......

JiminyCricket II · #**155** Posted **Nov 23, 2006, 1:13 AM**

Welcome Michael, always nice to have another NW poster.

I read an article (was it here?) that said that 333 would recommence construction in 2 weeks. I think that is amazing, I thought it would be stalled for months.

horatio_the_hermit · #**156** Posted **Nov 23, 2006, 2:24 AM**

yeah, i read a similar article in the PI. Good stuff.

Hans Gruber · #**157** Posted **Nov 23, 2006, 1:13 PM**

I stick by what I said earlier. The steel frame was constructed in an H pattern several floors down the parking garage. Obviously, most crane are poured in cement attaching the base of the crane to foundation.

It's possible the design was flawed and the crane ripped out of the parking garage. However, we had heavy winds several week ago and the crane withstood the wind. Had the crane structure been weakened by the wind, obvious signs of weld breaks or metal fatigue would be apparent. Considering on the day of destruction wind was no factor. Had the crane tipped over without a crane operator on board, we could blame the design of the crane installation. In this case, that didn't happen.

I think the press and the construction industry want to believe this was a tragic accident. Based on close up photos of the cranes base, it looks as if the crane bent under massive pressure, not an uprooted base. My hypothesis after viewing the downed crane is operator error. The guy may have been lifting something that was too heavy for the crane. A crane operator can overstress the lifting capabilities causing a catostrophic accident.

There I said it. In six months we will know if I'm correct. Either way, let the building in Bellevue continue.

testdrive · #**158** Posted **Nov 25, 2006, 5:11 PM**

Should the Hanover building be moved from proposed to u/c? I was downtown and they have started construction.

horatio_the_hermit · #**159** Posted **Nov 25, 2006, 11:34 PM**

I was going to say you had it confused with 1020, but i swung by the site today and found that all the construction shacks had moved and digging at the site had indeed commenced.

I seen it with my own eyes, hanover BRE is under construction.

testdrive · #**160** Posted **Nov 27, 2006, 5:41 AM**

Tried to upload some photos but I guess it didn't work =o/